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#OSUgrad family: Archie and Adam Griffin

May 04, 2015

When Archie Griffin addresses the 2015 graduating class at this spring’s commencement ceremony, he also will be congratulating his son, Adam Griffin.

Archie Griffin came to Ohio State in 1972 as a student-athlete. He played for Coach Woody Hayes; to this day, he remains the only college football player to have won two Heisman trophies. He was a first-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals and played for the team for seven years.

But it was his 1976 graduation (he earned a degree in industrial relations) that Archie considers his proudest moment as a Buckeye. And after his time in the NFL, he returned to Ohio State, serving in the Department of Athletics for 20 years before taking the helm as president and CEO of the Alumni Association.

"It means a tremendous amount to me," Archie says of his degree. "I love the game of football and I've played the game of football. But football was the vehicle I used to get the education that I wanted."

President Michael V. Drake calls Archie "a tireless champion for the university." With more than 30 years of dedicated service to Ohio State, Griffin recently announced he's taking a new role: senior advisor within the university’s Office of Advancement.

Like his father, Adam played for the Buckeyes. A highlight was playing on the 2012 team, which was undefeated in its regular season. When a shoulder injury ended his football career, he continued to focus on academics. Adam graduates with a degree in consumer and family financial services and a job at Fidelity Investments.

“Being an alumnus of Ohio State means the world to me,” Adam says of his upcoming graduation. “I am definitely well aware of how renowned Ohio State is as a university.”

Archie’s advice to the #OSUgrad community:

“First of all, treat people the way you want to be treated.I think if you do that, you will be successful."

“If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Your word is golden, and people depend on you doing the things you say you’re going to do.”

“Do something to help others. Or, how my former coach Woody Hayes would say: ‘pay forward.’ Do things to help your community, to help young people."